User blog:BeastMan14/Film Review: A Strong Cast Makes "Hotel Artemis" A Surprise Gem
In a summer movie season that is becoming increasingly populated with blockbusters, remakes, and reboots, sometimes it's nice to go into a film entirely unsure as to what it's going to be. Hotel Artemis, the feature-length directorial debut of Drew Pearce (whose only previous directing work is the Marvel One Shot All Hail the King), is exactly one of those films, where it's best to walk in knowing as little as possible and let yourself be pleasantly surprised through the work of a smart script and a strong cast firing on all cylinders. The Cast In a film with a relatively low-budget centered around it's characters, Hotel Artemis lives or dies by it's cast, and I'm immensely happy to say that they deliver. Anchored by Jodie Foster and Sterling K. Brown, the cast is a mix of up and comers, scene stealers, and veterans that bounce perfectly off one another. As the Nurse, Jodie Foster gives off a vibe of a calm and collected professional in the face of chaos, making the peeks into her backstory all the more surprising and emotionally affecting, while Brown continues to prove himself as a charismatic and easily likable leading man as Waikiki . Of the non-leads, the shining star is Dave Bautista as Everest, the Nurse's assistant/bodyguard, who perfectly captures the vibe of an eloquent and friendly bruiser in a way only he can, while Charlie Day adds a nastier edge to his usually manic and energetic performances as Acapulco. Sofia Boutella's Nice is a fairly standard femme fatale, but she plays it with sexy, confident aplomb, alongside having sizzling chemistry with Brown. The only real complaint I have with the cast is that some of them are simply underused in the greater scale of the story. Bryan Tyree Henry's Honolulu serves largely as a plot device for Waikiki, and he's not given much of a chance to show the acting chops that make him so excellent in Atlanta. Jeff Goldblum is his usual charming self, and he delivers one of the films best lines, but he's only in the film for a short amount of time. Jenny Slate and Zachary Quinto round out the cast, but are largely bit players. Score: 4.5 out of 5 The Story As a man whose big break was working with Shane Black on Iron Man 3, Pearce has inherited a lot of his collaborator's style for both witty dialogue and strong noir aesthetics. A lot of Artemis's dialogue simply come off as funny conversations, with snappy one-liners and every character having a clearly defined personality behind them. There was never a laugh out loud moment, but there were several funny moments, provided primarily by Bautista and Goldblum. The actual storytelling is somewhat by-the-book and never quite pushes the envelope as much as it should, but the plot has some interesting twists and turns, and it ends on an intensely satisfying note that wraps everything up nicely. The most surprising aspect of the film is it's worldbuilding. The world of Hotel Artemis is a very different one from our own, and it uses the best elements of dystopian cyberpunk to serve as background to a more traditional noir story. The occasional glimpses and mentions of the larger world were often the film's most intriguing moments, and I wouldn't be entirely opposed to future films set in this world. Score: 4 out of 5 The Direction Despite his strengths as a writer, Pearce's skill in direction shows potential, but is likely the film's weakest point. Thanks to the work of Chung Chung-hoon, the film has a very pretty color palette, but at several points felt somewhat stiff, with the opening shootout of the film the most notable offender. During more character-focused scenes, Pearce shows more confidence, cutting to capture emotion and build tension without ever feeling forced, and the films's final action sequence, which includes a brutal hallway brawl that puts Daredevil to shame, is enough to make up for any initial struggles. Score: 3.5 out of 5 Final Verdict Marketed as an action romp but closer to a neo-noir thriller, Hotel Artemis has all the makings of a cult classic, and it's a strong debut from Drew Pearce. With a strong cast and a promising premise, it's a perfectly fine place to check yourself in for 90 minutes. Final Score: 80% Potential Ballot Spots: *Best Actor: Sterling K. Brown (in a weaker year) *Best Actress: Jodie Foster *Best Supporting Actor: Dave Bautista *Best Supporting Actress: Sofia Boutella (in a weaker year) *Best Limited Performance: Jeff Goldblum *Best Original Screenplay *Best Production Design *Best Costume Design Category:Blog posts Category:Reviews Category:2018 Reviews